Recovery of a Native American Burial Site Inches Closer to an End

DULUTH, Minn.- A $6 million project to recover remains at a Native American burial site in the Fond– Du–Lac neighborhood has been an ongoing process.

After two years, the project is making progress, which means it is inching closer to an end.

The project has reached a milestone.

Crews have completed the search for remains within the largest piles of displaced cemetery soil from the burial site.

But more work is on the way before the entire project can officially be completed.

Crews have continuously worked to recover and restore the native burial site disturbed by a construction project in 2017.

Progress has been slow, but in recent days, the temporary structures that once covered the work being done since the beginning have been taken down.

Job trailers have also been moved.

All are signs of progression for this ongoing project.

MnDot officials say most of the leg work has been finished and now is the time to go on to the next stages

“The focus of the recovery effort is moving now to the central cemetery area,” said Project Manager Randy Costly. “When the recovery process is complete then we will move into a restoration phase.

The recovery process is expected to be finished by the end of September.

Following the completion, the restoration can begin with replacing the cemetery slope.

MnDot recently hired a landscape architect firm to help come up with a culturally appropriate design for the restoration.

The goal is to be shovel–ready for landscaping plans by next summer.

MnDot says their focus right now is only to restore the cemetery.

Once that is completed and an archeologist outlines the boundaries of the cemetery is when they will begin planning a new project to restore the bridge and Highway 23.

MnDot will give a brief update on the burial site during a community meeting next Tuesday at 6 pm at Chambers Grove Park on Highway 23.